The whirl of wind had subsides. Charlie was shaking, lying on the ground as she tried to keep from blacking out. She needed to make sure Weston was okay.

“Charlie!” Jasmine nearby was panicking, her hands rustling through the leaves until she found her phone. Her hands shaking, she struggled to find the flashlight app then crawled over to her friend. “Charlie, are you okay?”

“Um-hmmm.” Charlie pushed herself up.

“Weston!” Jasmine called. “Boner!”

“Boner?” Charlie asked as she stood.

“It was just supposed to be a joke.” Jasmine faltered. “You know, like how Weston grabbed you earlier. It was all just supposed to continue. Weston was pretending the light wasn’t working then Boner was going to jump out at us and then that wind…what was that?”

Charlie trembled, the thing she had seen move in the night, the reason she tried to protect her friends, was Boner. Her skin prickled as she thought again how this was all a prank, all for a joke.

She found Weston’s phone cracked but still working and walked away from her friend shining the light. A body lie against a tree, it was Weston. Calling to Jasmine, she ran over to him sliding to the ground. He moaned at her presence, trying to say something, barely able to keep her eyes open.

Charlie spoke to him, asking him questions, trying to keep him awake. Gently she felt around his hair until she felt the wet sticky substance. He had a gash at the very back of his head.

“Jasmine! Call for help! He’s bleeding.” Still holding light up to him she used her other hand to search his pants pockets until she found a pocket knife. Tearing a piece of cloth from her top she gently lifted his head and wrapped it up the best she could. “Stay awake West, please.” She spoke to him like she used to with ease. Before she had these feelings for him, before they started hanging out separately, back when she could go over to his house and hang out in the pool without feeling the need to ask.

“I’m sorry.” Weston grasped for her hand. “I wasn’t going to–”

“To do what?” Charlie asked with urgency as his eyes closed.

“The light–”

Charlie called out to him a few more times, shaking him gently. Jasmine wasn’t there anymore. The two of them were alone. She hadn’t realized she was crying not until she started calling out for help. Yelling for Jasmine then Boner remembering he was yet to be seen.

Bright lights filtered through the trees, deep voices shouting each other where to follow. Two men lifted him from her arms on a stretcher. Another helped them as they walked away. Jasmine helped Charlie up. Together, hand in hand, they walked out of the woods toward Jasmine’s back yard.

Lights from the ambulance lit up the dark night. Weston and Jasmine’s parents were both outside speaking to each other. Weston’s mom hovered over the men with the stretcher, her husband trying to pull her back.

Charlie’s gut was wrenching. She had to get away from here. Then she saw her parents car parking on the street. Both her parents, wearing their coats over pajama’s, came out of the car.

“Where is she!” Her fathers booming voice caused Charlie to shiver and she wondered if it was possible to run back home, jump in her bed and pretend like she never left.

“Charlie!” Her mother screamed out, running across the lawn. Her father was more reserved in the way he quickly strode over, looking everywhere then back at Charlie again and again like he had a twitch in his neck.

“I’m so sorry!”

“It was all my fault Mr. DeLaurente.” Jasmin spoke up.

“Get in the car!” Charlie’s father motioned, still not looking at anyone in particular as he controlled his tone.

Charlie was in the car before she could tell Weston’s parents how unbelievably sorry she was. When they got home her father was so angry he didn’t even look at Charlie. Instead he walked straight up to his room and slammed the door.

“How bad is it?” Charlie managed to ask. There wasn’t any punishment possible her parents could give to her that she didn’t deserve. If Weston wasn’t okay she wouldn’t care if she was locked in the basement to become nothing.

“Did you see anything out there?” Her mother’s voice was still panicked, hands shaking as she touched her daughters shoulders.

“It was really dark. The boys were playing a prank or something, I think.”

“A prank?” Her mothers brow went up, creasing as she bit down on her lower lip.

“Everyone just really wanted to go to a party and I thought maybe this once. So we went on our way and then the boys were playing some sort of prank. But mom, I didn’t know. I swear I didn’t know. I thought I saw something. And I don’t know I guess it was Boner.” She bit her lip wondering where Boner had been.

Charlie walked for a long time before she reached the house. She thought about running back home and sneaking back in her bed before her parents could question.

It was too late. Either way she would be punished if her parents found out. At least she would get Jasmine off her back.

Charlie started walking through the woods to get to Jasmine’s house. Using the flashlight on her phone she walked through ignoring the critters creeping through the fallen leaves and rustling through the bushes. This was her first time walking through them at night but it was still the same forest she had grown up running through. Darker but the same.

Finally escaping the brush she came out behind Jasmine and Weston’s house. She wondered if Jasmine waited on her or not. Walking through Jasmine’s backyard she shined her light on the window but it was too dim; even though the lights upstairs were off. She wasn’t exactly sure how to get a hold of her friend. They had never done this before. At least Charlie hadn’t. Jasmine claimed she had but Charlie knew Jasmine often embellished.

Looking around she reached for the pebbles surrounding the green shrubs surrounding the back of the house. One by one she threw them against the window. The first hitting the siding with a dull thud. She felt weird, like she was romancing her friend but the longer she waited the harder she threw and the more annoyed she became. Giving up she decided to just walk back. Jasmine didn’t even believe in her enough to wait.

Walking wearily toward the daunting woods she peered over at the pool in Weston’s fenced back yard. She thought about going to the party alone, but what if Jasmine wasn’t around, what if she was up there asleep. Walking over to the pool she thought about her adventure the other day. Her first realization her body could become liquid. Tempted to get back in the water she rested her hands against the fence. Could she call it at will? She started to walk toward the gate when she heard a howling noise behind her.

Freezing in her place she became more concerned as she heard it again, knowing it was human. The sound became closer followed by heavy footsteps attempting to tiptoe. Feeling someone’s hot breath against her neck she quickly turned around with her elbow up.

“Wow!” A boy called out catching her elbow with a firm grip and fast reflexes surprising Charlie who had put a lot of force against it.

She couldn’t make out his face as he grabbed her, cupping his hand over her mouth. He was stronger than a boy of her age, perhaps stronger than her father who had taught her how to catch an enemy off guard. Her father wouldn’t even let her out of the house without making sure she knew how to defend herself for moments just like this. If her father could see her now he would be disappointed as she was dragged away kicking and attempting to scream.

“Shut up Charlie!” She recognized Jasmine’s aggravated voice. “Get your hands off her Weston! I told you to scare her not manhandle her.”

“I didn’t know she was going to freak out like that!” He took his hand off Charlie’s mouth but he didn’t let her go. Charlie’s heart was reverberating her body. She feared Weston would let her go and she would fall on her back unable to get up. Or perhaps he would look in her eyes and know her erratic heartbeat and loss of words wasn’t due to the fear of her life from just a moment ago, but the way his strong arms comforted her.

“Are we going or what?” Jasmine pulled at Weston’s arm, letting Charlie to her own staggering self. “I thought you were never going to come Charlie!” She breathed heavily waking ahead as Weston turned on the largest handheld flashlight known to man.

“Snuck out.” Charlie smiled proudly as Weston gave a head nod like he was cheering her on.

The light began to flicker out. Weston hit it a few times, swearing at it.

“Great! Now we won’t get lost.” Jasmine sighed. All of them were reaching for their phones when the sound of something scampering in front of them caused everyone to pause, Jasmine’s phone falling out of her reach as she knelt down looking for it.

The trees blocked all light from the stars and moon leaving them in utter darkness. Charlie could make out something moving in the dim light. Jasmine and Weston were both huddled against her after Jasmine gave up on looking for her phone when they heard the shuffling noise again. All three of them stood with their backs against each other looking out. She linked her arms through their’s as if it could provide extra protection to something they couldn’t see.

A creaking above them from a tree branch caused everyone’s breathing to spike. Something was up there, and it was large, perhaps dangerous. Without light they were defenseless. She thought about the wind around her, feeling the light gentle breeze. It became easy to tune out Jasmine’s shivering. The warmth of Weston’s arm on hers was a bit harder to forget but she managed. Levitation was possible for her, she knew that after this morning. Perhaps it was time to move something other than herself, only this time while being conscious. Closing her eyes she imagined the wind becoming harsher, feeling it pushing against her body.

“What’s going on?” Jasmine’s voice shook with each syllable.

A burst of energy pushed from Charlie’s body. She felt the wind rushing around them creating a cyclone. A high-pitched scream faded as the thing she was protecting them from got caught against her cycle.

“What the hell!” Weston’s arm broke from hers. He jumped forward getting caught in the whirlwind.

Charlie tried to break out of this consuming feeling as things took shape without her understanding. She was keeping them safe from whatever was out there. Only now, one of the people she wanted to protect more than herself was no longer safe, because of her.

Charlie was pretty sure she had nothing to do with the sink backfiring on her friend. She was also pretty certain she was hallucinating, when she woke up hovering over the bed, or when she turned into liquid the other day. Jasmine didn’t seem to think Charlie was capable of such a thing but it didn’t stop her from screaming at Charlie when she was trying to help turn off the faucet.

Charlie was happier than the other day, as she went to second period, knowing she wouldn’t have to see Jasmine for several hours. Maybe by then her friend would both be in better spirits.

“Hey,” Weston nodded holding the door open to the science room. “Is it cool if we trade partners?”

“Huh?” She looked over at Kelsey. “Sure.” Her voice felt metallic as the sound twisted pass her lips. Now she would have to spend the rest of the semester listening to Boner’s stupid innuendos while Weston got closer to Kelsey or Jasmine.

“‘Scuse me.” Boner bumped me from behind as he laughed, nodding to Weston with a grin as he walked over to Charlie’s former seat. Charlie could already see Kelsey rolling her eyes then giving Charlie an irritated look.

Weston held out his arm to allow Charlie to get to her new seat first. She blushed and tried to hide her face from being seen. Other than Kelsey, no one else paid attention to her, they usually never did.

Charlie knew most girls would have a panic attack sitting next to their crush and would explode over every detail to their best friend. She wanted to, even though it wasn’t like her to gossip and she could hardly admit to herself how she felt. What could she possibly say to her friend after Jasmine had announced her most recent interest in Weston. Charlie couldn’t bear standing up to her friend when she knew the reality. She didn’t stand a chance next to Jasmine. Weston seemed like the same boy she knew before his contacts and acne treatment not to mention matching clothes. There was still something noticeably different between Weston and her. He was now popular. And she was hardly popular by association.

At lunch he was already sitting at another table overflowing with girls. Jasmine constantly commented on each one, comparing them to the year before. She was confident none of them stood a chance to her. Charlie stabbed at her salivating steak as she half-listened.

“Are you going or what?”

“Sure.” Charlie nodded as she was coming to the realization she had agreed to something she hadn’t comprehended.

Jasmine shook her head. “I knew you weren’t listening.”

“I was too.” Charlie pouted knowing it wasn’t possible for Jasmine to really know her, not if she was this callous to go on and on about her schemes to win Weston’s attention over every other girl who also realized something was different about him.

“Well, great then. I figured your parents would have a conniption. Hey Boner,” Jasmine patted the seat next to her. He perked up and plopped down. “Charlie’s parents are letting her out after day break!”

“Wow, this is late breaking news!” He exclaimed. “You’re parents are really loosening the reigns.”

The two went back and forth about how they would guard Charlie’s virtue. She just zoned out wondering how she was going to get around this. There was no way her parents would ever agree and if they found out….she wasn’t sure what they would do. She looked back over at her cackling friends. For the first time she didn’t care what her parents would do.

Charlie excused herself from her parents with the charade of a headache. It was game night but she expressed her need to lie down. When she got to her bedroom she looked out the window at the stars wondering if it was possible to be as lost in the crowd as they were, she wondered if this was her life now. No matter how many times she tried it was hard for her to keep an eye on just one. Looking down below she became nervous about the drop. She had never snuck out before and two stories up with one tree far enough away would probably lead with her going to the hospital.

Sitting on the bed she knew things would be much easier if she just stayed. Grabbing her computer she went on her wall only to find the exact topic she was trying to avoid. Jasmine had already posted selfie’s with duck lips and had tagged her in it. Boner was going with Weston to go hunting, as he put it.

Turning off the computer she opened the window and shimmied out, struggling for a grip on the roof. Holding the window ledge tightly she turned around facing the distance between her and the sturdiest tree branch. It was much farther than she realized.

She couldn’t risk jumping and taking a fall leading to something cracking. The thought disgusted her. So did going back inside. Resting against the window she closed her eyes debating over her choices. Stay at home and continue to be mocked by her friends or take a chance and just jump. Opening her eyes she noticed something changing in the trees shape. It was bending toward her as if reaching for her. It grew closer to her, reaching out until the tip of the branch rested against her foot.

Finding the courage to place take a step on the limb she realized this was a whole different kind of issue. How was it possible these things were happening around her. Walking in a straight line with her arms out, like she used to when she practiced on the beam, she reached center then noticed the tree limb was shrinking and she was moving closer to the tree without taking another step. Stretching out her arms she saw how fast the space between her hand and the bark became nonexistent. Wrapping her arms around the base she climbed down. Once she reached the ground she looked back up to the dark night sky seeing the tree as it had always been since she could remember.

Becoming water and then levitating from the bed were two things Charlie believed to be true. She realized by believing these things as possible meant she should be committed. How could her parents understand and believe in her sanity ever again? She was a mess.

For breakfast her mom gave her cereal while they ate french toast. The whole morning was eerie because her parents seemed solemn and she knew staying out fifteen minutes past curfew couldn’t cause them to be this upset. Then again Charlie had never missed her curfew before. She knew there was something else going on between them two. She hoped they weren’t getting a divorce like Jasmine’s parents did. Except they got back together twice. Only there not technically married anymore.

When Charlie walked up to Jasmine’s open locker she put on her best smile in hopes the day would offer more distractions so she could forget about the things she didn’t know how to explain. Jasmine slammed her locker door shut startling Charlie. She seemed upset, her eyes red with bags beneath them. At the sight of Charlie, Jasmine threw her arms around Charlie’s neck holding her tightly as she cried. The bell was about to ring but both girls made it to the bathroom and decided to skip the first period. Even though Weston was there and Charlie was curious whether he knew those clothes he found in the pool were hers. It would have to wait until lunch. If he did recognize them she would be absolutely mortified.

After they checked the stalls Jasmine pulled out a foot of paper towels and sat on top of the counter. Charlie found something to wedge the door shut. She wasn’t sure why her friend was distraught. Maybe Jasmine’s parents had decided to separate again. That usually meant her father would go stay at a motel or drive out to a friend’s house for a few weeks. Charlie was pretty sure it wasn’t the problem because Jasmine had never gotten this upset, not since the first time.

“He broke up with me.” Jasmine mumbled through the wad of paper she held against her nose.

“Why?”

“He didn’t say. He didn’t even show up for our video chat.”

“Maybe something happened. I mean you guys are on different time zones, maybe he got on the wrong time.”

“No.” She moaned. “When he didn’t get on I texted him, then called him, I tried email and I even messaged him on all of his sites.”

Charlie held her lips shut worried she would say the wrong thing. Neither of them had ever had boyfriends before. Not exactly. Jasmine had flings throughout middle school but she was so picky she would get bored with them by the week’s end. Charlie wasn’t sure what it was like to have a boyfriend but she knew Jasmine was being a bit excessive.

“Just because he didn’t respond doesn’t mean he broke up with you.”

“It does when you see him posting pictures with other girls and changes his status to single.” Jasmine spit out bitterly.

“Oh.” It was all Charlie could manage to say.

“I can’t believe it. We had the best two weeks ever and we were planning on seeing each other spring break. How could he do this?”

“Jasmine, you shouldn’t let that creep make you feel this way. You’re better off anyway, right? I mean long distance is hard and there are all of these cute boys in school.”

Jasmine sighed. “You’re right. He is a creep and a loser and I hope he rots in hell!” She jumped off the counter. “All I have to do is find someone to take my mind off him.” She grabbed out her make up bag and started to touch up her face.

Charlie was grateful her friend was choosing not to wallow. She wasn’t exactly sure how to comfort her if things were to continue down this depressing route. She could deal with parental issues, even though she had never experienced them herself, but boys made her nervous.

“Weston’s looking really hot.” Jasmine commented as she put on some concealer under her puffy eyes.

“I guess.”

Jasmine looked at her like she was crazy. “I swear you are so blind and naive. You wouldn’t know what a hot guy was if he picked you up. Well, I think Weston is exactly what I need to take my mind off of the one we will not speak of.”

Charlie’s heart-felt as if it was dropping through a mine shaft at warp speed. Jasmine used to always tease Charlie about Weston. Telling her how cute they would be together. This was back when Weston was covered in blemishes, wore glasses, and always wore star wars shirts and baggy pants. Now Jasmine seemed to think Weston was out of Charlie’s league, and it hurt her.

Though she had never admitted it out loud, and rarely to herself, she had liked Weston well before these changes. Since fourth grade when it started raining, even though she was already soaked as she walked across the parking lot to get through the door, he came over to her and held his umbrella above both their heads. He had always been sweet to her since then. He saved her a seat on the bus or at lunch when Jasmine was sick. He would hold the door open for her when their paths crossed. He always remembered her birthday. But she had been blind, maybe he did that for everyone he knew.

“I’m going to invite him out to the movies. Maybe we could do a group date. I’m sure he has a friend whose single.” Jasmine was already smiling as she put on mascara.

Charlie was extremely upset but she was also happy her friend was in good spirits. At that moment Charlie wondered if Jasmine’s mascara was waterproof as Jasmine turned the faucet to wash her hands. The handle ruptured as water spouted all over her face.

It wasn’t easy waiting for Weston to leave as Charlie floated in the pool, invisible. Not invisible because she developed an ability to blend in. The kind where her whole body melted and she wasn’t sure where the water began and she ended. She could feel every movement of the pools light current. She wasn’t just herself, she was all of it and this somehow made her feel even smaller and helpless. When the boy left with his kitten, he had taken the clothes he had found out of the water and laid them out on the fence as if he knew the owner would be back.

She wondered if he had recognized it was what she had worn earlier in school, but he didn’t seem to notice. He looked around and waited for some time then headed back in. Now, the trouble was getting out. She got in easily, jumped in and saved the little kitten who struggled to find his way out. Where were her fingers or toes. She could see everything from all angles making her feel dizzy and unfocused. Then as if it was all in her imagination she was there, standing in the water. Moving her fingers over her arms she almost didn’t believe it was real.

Sneaking home through the woods, she almost knew where every fallen tree would be as she jumped over the hurdles like a marathon to get home. Jasmine and her always went this way when going to each others house. They even had secrets hidden throughout this forest. Some buried and others hanging in plain sight. She wasn’t sure exactly what she was running from as the light grew dimmer under the canopy of leaves. No one was chasing her and it wasn’t like she could run from herself. Before she had to cut through a neighbor’s yard she stopped. Arms resting on her knees, she was panting and sweating.

Hearing the sound of a car being locked she looked up to see her father walking in the house. Dinner would be on the table waiting for him. Mom would be running around the kitchen cleaning everything up and Charlie was supposed to be there, waiting like every night. He wasn’t going to be happy if she didn’t make it there first.

Walking in, she shut the door softly, head bowed and ready for her punishment. Her father had a set curfew her whole life, it included the entire family. Charlie had never eaten over a friend’s house or spent the night. Jasmine for the longest stopped speaking to Charlie when they were younger because Jasmine thought it was unfair she always had to come over. Charlie never really minded the rule so much because she thought Jasmine’s family was really weird. Their idea of dinner was finding anywhere in the house to take a plate of something frost-bitten. It didn’t take long before Jasmine came over interested in a taste of Charlie’s mom’s tiramisu.

Every night there was a delicious feast. Charlie’s mom was a retired chef and now worked part-time at a bakery. Charlie’s mouth watered from the smell but her stomach was still churning and her head was pounding with confusion.

“Cynthia, she’s home.” Charlie’s father called out.

“You had me so worried!” Her mother hung up the phone, probably Jasmine’s mother, and came running out to embrace her.

“Relax mom. I’m fine, just late.” Charlie wasn’t sure exactly what just happened. She wasn’t sure how to explain it, and maybe right now it meant she shouldn’t. Her mother seemed so flustered and worried. Telling her something like this would probably have her calling for ten different doctors opinions.

Cynthia gave her a stern look. “We’ve had these talks. It is not appropriate for you to be out after day light. It is the only rule we’ve ever enforced.”

Charlie shrugged her shoulders. It was true, but only because Charlie never pushed any limits. She wasn’t sure how flexible her parents exactly were.

Turning away Charlie walked upstairs. Her father placing an arm around his wife with a similar stern look. Shutting her door and closing the blinds she plopped on the bed taking a deep sigh as she wondered what was going on. Reaching for her computer she started searching her phenomenon. No matter how she put it there was nothing to describe the events of today. Closing her eyes after several hours she pushed it all out of her head.

Tossing in the night she had a dream of drowning. Not being able to see where she began and the water ended. As if she was treading her legs through the water she found herself floating iridescently above the water. She kept going higher and higher toward the blinding sun before she fell back down like rain.

Charlie’s eyes fluttered open surprised to find herself floating a few inches above her mattress. Anxiety rushing through her limbs she moved falling against the bed.

“Everyone’s saying you fell asleep in class and started having night terrors.” Jasmine whispered loudly in the cafeteria.

Charlie didn’t understand why her best friend felt the need to whisper this to her if everyone was talking about it. For a second she wished her nightmares were real so she could melt into a ball of liquid and escape her most embarrassing moment ever. This was worse than when Boner got his nickname in fifth grade when his teacher hugged him because he was the only one who remembered her birthday.

“Hey Screamer.” Boner plopped his tray on the table sitting extra close to Jasmine, nearly splattering her with the weird mushy liquid surrounding his beef patty.

“Please don’t tell me that’s what their calling me.” Charlie groaned resting her head in her hands.

“Just trying it on for size.” He smiled, a piece of the brownish substance on his tooth after he shoved a spoonful in his mouth.

“Ugh.” Jasmine pushed him aside. “You’re so lame. Why do you even sit with us.”

“Because you love me.” He smushed his lips together leaning toward her.

“So gross. Get over yourself. I swear one dare can make you regret your life.” Jasmine tried to act disgusted but Charlie knew she liked the attention. Charlie had never accepted a dare and Jasmine never accepted a truth. “Charlie get your head out of your hands. Sit up straight, like nothing happened and they will all forget about it.”

“Or you could embrace it!” Boner perked up again. “Nicknames make you legendary.”

Jasmine rolled her eyes.

“Hi Jasmine, Charlie.” Weston spoke up causing Charlie to take Jasmine’s advice with flushed cheeks and a spinning stomach. It was a good thing she hadn’t eaten her lunch yet.

“Weston, sit! Show Boner not every guy is as crass as him.”

Weston looked a bit nervous. Jasmine made a lot of guys nervous, probably because she had matured back in middle school, but Weston didn’t seem to notice too much. Every time she went to Jasmine’s house she would catch him reading in the pool in his backyard, mowing the front lawn, or hanging out with his friends playing video games. All things Charlie liked to do, except mowing the yard but she did it when her dad was busy at work and her mother was having her faint spells. She had grown fond of the sound of the lawn mower and witnessing her finished work.

“Sorry but I promised my friends…. Um….Charlie I was just wondering if you had taken notes in math class. I got sort of lost. Every other teacher just went over the syllabus and well I wasn’t expecting….”

“Yea, definitely. Do you want to take a picture of them.”

“Are you going over to Jasmine’s today?”

“Of course she is!” Jasmine grabbed my arm. “It’s tradition.”

“Cool, maybe I could just come by and copy them. You know, so you won’t be without your notes.” He ran his fingers through his dark hair. “I’ll see you guys later.”

“I guess not everyone knows.” Jasmine poked her in the ribs. Charlie pushed her lips together pretending not to fill agitated by her best friends brutish touch. Charlie didn’t have any siblings and after witnessing Jasmines two younger brothers rough play throughout the house she knew Jasmine was just trying to share it with her too. Charlie just wished it wasn’t so much.

“Oh everyone does.” Boner smiled and Jasmine threw him a dirty look.

Managing to stay awake through the rest of her classes she rode the bus home with Jasmine after giving the bus driver a forged note from her mother who had forgotten to sign another permission slip.

Jasmine went on and on about all the cute boys this year. Charlie agreed they were all cute, but she also thought they were some of the shadiest guys in school based on rumors alone. Now she had her own rumor as the girl who screams in class. Since her’s was true she assumed everyone else’s rumors probably had a lot of truth in them too. The clock ticked by slowly, tortuously, and it was getting closer to dark. Charlie would have to leave soon.

“I have an idea!” Jasmine turned from the mirror, where she had experimented with the angle of her web cam and a new glossy lipstick she had worn for her video date, with the guy she had met on vacation. “How about you just go over there?”

“What! No I couldn’t do that.” Charlie shied away from the idea. If he didn’t want the notes then he didn’t want it.

“Oh come on Charlie grow some balls.” Jasmine replied seriously with a look of disapproval.

“First off, not possible. And second off, he must have changed his mind.”

“One of these days you should really consider stepping outside that shell Charlie. Then maybe you wouldn’t wake up screaming in first period.”

Charlie’s jaw dropped. This wasn’t the first time Jasmine had said something so callous before. “I should go home.”

Jasmine shrugged her shoulders and looked back in her web cam, dismissing Charlie with the waive of a hand. It was fairly typical for the two girls to grow a little tired of each other after spending a long day together when they hadn’t seen each other for such a long time. It would take a little longer for them to get back in the swing of things.

Feeling irritated with Jasmine’s statement she thought maybe Jasmine was right. Charlie could stay up all night wondering why Weston would stop by to ask her for her notes then not show up or she could just offer them.

She went to knock on the door until she heard a loud splash in the back yard. Changing her trajectory she peered over the hedges. She couldn’t see anyone from the angle.

“Weston.” She called, receiving no response.

Opening the latch from the inside, like the girls often did when Weston and his family were out-of-town, she stepped through the gate and looked around to find a kitten whimpering softly, trying to paddle its way to the ledge.

Without question she jumped in the pool to grab the poor wet animal, lifting him out as he ran away to scratch on the back door. She could see a figure through the tempered glass and wished she could just disappear.

Weston walked outside, picking up the wet cat. “What are you doing out here Buttons? Why are you wet?” He talked to the cat, looking around. But he didn’t seem to notice Charlie.

Charlie moved with the swaying of the water, translucent and no longer in human state. Weston walked toward the kittens wet tracks seeing Charlie’s clothes floating in the water. He grabbed a pole and used it to fish the clothing out along with her shoes which floated around her and the rest of the water. Weston couldn’t see the difference between the chlorine water and Charlie’s liquid state. He poked her a few times but her transparency and lack of a mouth prevented her annoyed yells from being heard beyond her thoughts as each jab felt like jasmine’s poking.

Dreams can be left on the back burner or you can stretch yourself as far as you can to expand toward them. This Sunday I made a change in my life. I have taken on a third job per say. You are still reading the blog of a Sales Account Executive for a demanding wireless company, a published author with plenty more books to pump out, and now a Mary Kay independent beauty consultant.

When I announced this the first reaction on my social media was whether I had quit working my day job. The answer is no. I’m not going to lie, this isn’t going to be a piece of cake but I opted in to Mary Kay due to the flexibility and it being my own business.

My salary job is great. I love the people I work with and I enjoy the ventures I take with my company. But when you have a dream to continue publishing books, and you want to remodel your house, and you want to buy yourself something nice once in a while, you may often find the career job is just taking care of your needs like paying bills. This is all great but I want more. I think we all do at the end of the day.

Joining Mary Kay was easy for me. I hosted a party and got my free gift, Satin Hands which I LOVE, and they informed me on how one can succeed with their model. I only had to pay a fee for my first kit. It’s a job where I set my own quota and my own hours which means I can be successful as long as I manage my time and continue to build relationships.

Where are the priorities? How will I do it all? It’s important to be strong in my first job because it carries the weight that keeps me surviving and I’ve spent a lot of my time rising to the position I have attained. I have to keep writing, everyday, because each word adds up to a chapter and it is the ultimate dream. Mary Kay doesn’t come last but it certainty comes in-between. I hope it will be the glue I’ve been missing.

This means I will have to book appointments outside of my day job but most of the time it will be all fun because I will be pampering people with my products and get to see the same excitement I had when I felt how smooth my skin was. The most important is to remember to keep writing every day. Wish me luck and I will let you know if this decision worked out for me to help me pursue my next challenge of publishing my second book.

I have not opted in to my Mary Kay website. Right now I am currently assisting customers on my Facebook page.

What extra work have you taken on to pursue your needs, wants, or dreams?